Display control apparatus and method in a mobile terminal capable of outputting video data to an external display device

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal and a method for a mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal includes a display unit, a controller to separate a main screen and a sub screen from video data, the main screen to be displayed on an external display device and the sub screen to be displayed on the display unit, and an interface to wirelessly transmit the main screen to the external display device for display while the sub screen is displayed on the display unit.

PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.13/242,856, filed Sep. 23, 2011, which is a continuation of priorapplication Ser. No. 11/784,414, filed Apr. 6, 2007, which has issued asU.S. Pat. No. 8,644,883 on Feb. 4, 2014 and claimed the benefit under 35U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Korean patent application filed in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office on Apr. 17, 2006 and assigned Serial No.10-2006-0034719, the entire disclosure of each of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a display apparatus andmethod in a mobile terminal, and in particular, to a display controlapparatus and method in a mobile terminal capable of outputting videodata to an external display device in order for a user to enjoyconcurrent service.

2. Description of the Related Art

Along with the development of digital broadcasting technology and mobiletelecommunication technology in recent years, the public has taken greatinterest in digital broadcasting services that enable users to watchdigital broadcasts on mobile terminals, even when the user is in motion.Due to the great interest in the digital broadcasting services, thefocus of the development has been moving from a passive broadcastingwatching scheme that users watch merely TV programs without taking anyaction to an active broadcasting management scheme that allows users tosee a variety of information related to goods displayed on a TV programcurrently being broadcast. For example, the active broadcastingmanagement scheme allows a user to purchase goods displayed on a TVprogram while watching the TV program.

Also, a concern is being raised as to Digital Multimedia Broadcasting(DMB) services through wireless mobile terminals. The current DMBservices make connections available anywhere and anytime with the mobileterminals, but they are disadvantageous in that the small screen size ofthe mobile terminals do not allow a number of people to simultaneouslywatch a TV program displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal. Thus,the trend is for developing the mobile terminal to have a function tooutput video signals to external display units, such as a television, aprojector and the like, having a screen size larger than that of themobile terminal. The mobile terminal having TV-out function can outputvideo data including moving pictures and broadcasting data, currentlybeing displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal, to an externaldisplay device. Therefore, users are able to simultaneously watch TVprograms through the larger screen.

Hereinafter, an example of a mobile terminal connected with a televisionwill be provided with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates aconventional mobile terminal having TV-out function, connected with atelevision. As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile terminal 10 is connected with atelevision 30, which is a type of external display device, through aTV-out cable 20. As shown in FIG. 1, a broadcast including a TV programis displayed on the screen of the television 30 rather than beingdisplayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 10. Generally, as in thescreen display control scheme of the mobile terminal 10, the television30 displays broadcasts on the screen under the same display scheme.Thus, when events including incoming call and message reception occurwhile watching TV programs, an event message box indicated by referencenumeral 40 in FIG. 1 is displayed on the screen of the television 30.However, as shown in FIG. 1, the event message box 40 covers someportion of the screen on which broadcast is being currently displayed.More specifically, when a number of people are watching a TV programthrough the television 30, viewers may feel inconvenienced by theunnecessary information displayed on the screen.

In addition, personal information of the mobile terminal user isundesirably publicly displayed, creating a potential infringement on theuser's privacy. Further, when a user is checking information related togoods desired by the user while viewing a home shopping channel, i.e.,when the user clicks on the user-desired goods, personal informationrequired by a purchase may be unintentionally disclosed to the public.

As described above, a display control scheme of an external displaydevice in a conventional mobile terminal has a problem in that someportion of the displayed TV screen will be obscured by an event messagebox 40 or personal information may be undesirably disclosed to thepublic. Thus, the conventional display control scheme is not suitablefor processing the concurrent service in an external display device andin a mobile terminal. Such a conventional mobile terminal cannot offer auser who is watching broadcasts through the external display deviceother kinds of services because in a conventional mobile terminal, onlyone screen for the service currently being displayed can be provided toan external display device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a display control apparatusand method in a mobile terminal having a function to output video datato an external display device that enables users to enjoy a variety ofservices in a mobile terminal separately from services offered by anexternal display device connected with the mobile terminal.

In addition, the present invention provides a display control apparatusand method in a mobile terminal having a function to output video datato an external display device that enables event processing in themobile terminal, in addition to a service currently being displayed onthe external display device.

Further, the present invention provides a display control apparatus andmethod in a mobile terminal having a function to output video data to anexternal display device that prevents personal information from beingpublicly disclosed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided adisplay control method in a mobile terminal capable of outputting videodata to an external display device. The method includes transmitting, bythe mobile terminal, video data to be displayed on the external displaydevice, determining whether an event occurs during displaying the videodata on the external display device and upon occurrence of an event,displaying a screen for processing the event on the mobile terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provideda display control apparatus in a mobile terminal capable of outputtingvideo data to an external display device. The apparatus includes a radiounit for receiving an outside event, a controller for transmitting thevideo data through an interface to display the video data on theexternal display device and configuring a screen for processing an eventwhen an event is notified from the radio unit; and a display fordisplaying the screen for processing the event under the control of thecontroller.

According to further aspect of the present invention, there is provideda display control apparatus in a mobile terminal capable of outputtingvideo data to an external display device. The apparatus includes aDigital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) receiver for receivingbroadcasting data received from digital broadcasting station in realtime, a controller for transmitting the broadcasting data to theexternal display device through an interface to display the broadcastingdata and upon occurrence of the event, configuring a screen forprocessing an event after determining whether an event occurs, and adisplay for displaying the screen for processing the event under thecontrol of the controller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of certainexemplary embodiments of the present invention will become more apparentfrom the following detailed description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional mobile terminal having TV-outfunction, connected with a television;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal having TV-outfunction according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates screens in a mobile terminal and in an externaldisplay device, respectively, when an event occurs according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal having TV-outfunction according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates display of a broadcasting service and an ElectronicProgram Guide (EPG) service according to another embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 6 illustrates display of different broadcasting services accordingto another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the annexed drawings. For convenience, the samereference numerals are used to represent the same functional parts. Inthe following description, a detailed description of known functions andconfigurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make thesubject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

The present invention implements a specific function that enables a userto enjoy other services in a mobile terminal while watching video dataincluding broadcasts or using services displayed on an external displaydevice connected with the mobile terminal. To accomplish the abovefunction, the present invention performs the procedure of determiningwhether events occur while displaying video data sent by the mobileterminal on the external display device, and when it is determined thatan event occurs, displaying a screen for processing the event on themobile terminal. Thus, a user is able to use a concurrent service byusing the other kind of service in a mobile terminal while continuing towatch broadcasts or enjoy a service displayed on the external displaydevice. In addition, when an event occurs, information relevant to theevent is displayed only on the mobile terminal, irrespective of thedisplayed screen of the external display device. Therefore, a user'spersonal information can be protected from disclosure to the public.

The following description is for the operation of the mobile terminalhaving a TV-out function. The mobile terminal transmits video data toexternal display devices, such as a television and a computer monitor,through a cable and allows the video data to be displayed on theexternal display device. Herein, the video data transmitted to theexternal display device is compressed and converted to be suitable forthe external display device, as well known to those skilled in the art.

The present invention includes a method of distinguishing the content ofthe external display device from the content of the mobile terminal anddisplaying each content individually on its associated screen. Accordingto the present invention incoming call and message reception events maybe processed through the screen of the mobile terminal, separately fromthe service provided to the external display device. Also, according toanother embodiment of the present invention, while the external displaydevice is displaying video data, the mobile terminal can display anotherscreen for providing another service. Herein, the video data displayedon the external display device may be broadcast data provided in realtime by a digital broadcasting station or moving pictures previouslystored in the mobile terminal.

Elements and operation of a mobile terminal to which the presentinvention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal having TV-out functionaccording to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a mobileterminal 100 is connected with any one of external display devices 200through an interface 210. The mobile terminal 100 comprises a controller110, a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) receiver 120, a radio unit130, a display unit 140 and a memory 150. Herein, techniques for theconnectivity between the mobile terminal 100 and the external displaydevices 200 can be achieved using cable, infrared data communication,Bluetooth™ (herein “Bluetooth”), USB, IEEE 1394, Zigbee, W-LAN, etc.Thus, in the present invention, the mobile terminal 100 enables datatransmission via interface 210 without physically being connected withthe external display devices 200 through a cable.

The DMB receiver 120 receives broadcasting data through an antenna andthen demultiplexes Transport Stream packets (hereinafter, referred to asTS packet) to thereby parse the broadcasting data into video and audiodata through decoding. The video and audio data are then output to ascreen and a speaker of the external display devices 200, respectively,through interface 210 under the control of the controller 110. Herein, atuner and a decoder for performing demultiplexing and decoding can beincorporated into the DMB receiver 120, the operation of which are knownto those skilled in the art.

The radio unit 130 transmits/receives Radio Frequency (RF) signalsto/from a base station through an antenna under the control of thecontroller 110. Especially, the radio unit 130 provides notification ofevent occurrence such as an incoming call, message reception, etc, tothe controller 110. Thus, in the present invention, when the radio unit130 provides notification of an event occurrence during display of videodata sent by the controller 110 on the external display devices 200, thecontroller 110 configures a screen for processing the received event anddisplays the screen on the display unit 140. As such, the display unit140 displays a variety of information including caller's information andthe detailed contents of the received message in accordance with thenotified event.

In addition, the display unit 140 receives and displays display datarelative to key input data input by a key input unit (not shown) underthe control of the controller 110, and allows a user to visually confirmits condition in setting or activating functions desired by the user.The display unit 140 can also display event contents received during abroadcasting service being offered, other broadcasts provided by otherchannels in addition to the broadcasts currently displayed on theexternal display device 200 and broadcasting information including EPGinformation under the control of the controller 110.

The memory 150 stores a variety of information relevant to entireoperation of the mobile terminal 100 and at the same time, informationrelevant to broadcasting service including Electronic Program Guide(EPG) information received under the control of the controller 110.

The controller 110 determines whether event occurrence is notified bythe radio unit 130 while transmitting and displaying video data on theexternal display device 200. When the event occurrence notification isprovided by the radio unit 130, the controller 110 outputs the contentsof the notified event on the display unit 140 of the mobile terminal 100while continuing to display video data on the external display device200.

FIG. 3 shows screens displayed respectively in a mobile terminal and inan external display device when an event occurs according to the presentinvention. Referring to FIG. 3, it is illustrated, by way of example,that upon receipt of an incoming call, a message notifying of theoccurrence of an event, which is indicated by reference numeral 220, ispresented at the bottom of the screen of the external display device 200on which video data is being currently displayed and caller'sinformation relevant to the event is displayed on the screen of themobile terminal 100. That is to say, FIG. 3 shows that upon receipt ofan incoming call during displaying video data including broadcastingdata, the controller 110 distinguishes the contents of an event fromvideo data and then displays the event data on the mobile terminal 100and the video data on the external display device 200.

Herein, it is preferred that a message indicated by reference numeral220 is placed on the bottom of the screen of the external display device200 so that a screen on which video data is currently displayed mayoverlap only a slight portion of the lower end of the screen, allowing auser to continue to watch the video data currently being displayedwithout any inconvenience. The reason why the message is located at thebottom of the screen is to prevent user's inconvenience while watchingTV programs, but of course the message can be placed at other positions.Also, to achieve the object of the present invention for protectinguser's privacy, it may be possible that the external display device 200presents only the event-notifying message, while the specific contentsof the event including caller's information and details of the messageare displayed only on the mobile terminal 100. Herein, theevent-notifying message can be placed at any location on the screen.However, it is preferable that the event-notifying message has to beplaced at the edge of the screen to avoid user inconvenience whilewatching TV programs. The message may function simply as anevent-notifying message but may further include brief informationincluding a telephone number and an emergency message relative to theevent. Herein, it is preferable that the limited information that isincluded in the event-notifying message displayed on external displaydevice 200 does not infringe on the user's privacy.

As described above, it is advantageous in that upon receipt of the eventincluding incoming call and message reception, the details of thereceived events such as caller information and the contents of themessage are displayed on the mobile terminal, separately from theoperation of displaying video data on the external display device 200,thus avoiding public display of user's personal information andprotection of user's privacy.

The TV program displayed in FIG. 3 is provided as an example, and thepresent invention is not limited to this. In other words, a variety ofvideo data including moving pictures stored in the mobile terminal 100and broadcasting data received through the DMB receiver 120 can bedisplayed on the screen of the external display device 200. In addition,all kinds of mobile terminals including TV-out function but not having afeature of receiving broadcasting data can also be applied to the mobileterminal 100 of the present invention besides mobile terminals capableof receiving broadcasting data.

A description will be now made of constituent elements of the mobileterminal and their operation with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a blockdiagram illustrating a mobile terminal having TV-out function accordingto the present invention and, more specifically, in FIG. 4, the DMBreceiver 120 shown in FIG. 2 is replaced with a Digital MultimediaBroadcasting (DMB) tuner 400 and a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB)decoder 410. The DMB tuner 400 that is connected in parallel to the DMBdecoder 410 through two RF paths processes two kinds of terrestrialensembles or simultaneously receives both terrestrial DMB broadcastingand satellite DMB broadcasting. If a DMB tuner that enables reception oftwo terrestrial DMBs or two satellite DMBs may be implemented, then thecontroller can process terrestrial DMB and satellite DMB in combinationand provide concurrent service.

The DMB decoder 410 receives at least one broadcasting data that isinput by DMB tuner 400 in parallel and transmits the data to thecontroller 110 through two paths. Herein, one path is connected to thedisplay unit 140 and the other path is connected to the external displaydevice 200 under the control of the controller 110. As shown in FIG. 2,the mobile terminal 100 is connected with the external display device200 through the interface 210. Accordingly, each broadcasting datahaving been displayed on the external display device 200 by separating amain screen and a sub screen will be displayed, respectively, on eitherthe screen of the mobile terminal 100 or the external display device 200after being separated. For instance, it may be possible that through onepath, broadcasting data on the currently selected channel is output tothe external display device 200 and, through another path, differentbroadcasting data on the other channel excepting the currently selectedchannel is output to the display unit 140. That is, while continuing todisplay TV programs on the currently selected channel on the main screenof the external display device, other TV programs that have beendisplayed on the sub screen are displayed on the screen of the mobileterminal 100.

As described above, two RF paths connecting from the DMB tuner 400 tothe controller 110 are provided and thus it is possible to displaydifferent broadcasting data respectively on the external display device200 and the mobile terminal 100 after being separated. In addition, itis also possible to display EPG service on the mobile terminal 100 whiledisplaying a broadcast on the external display device 200. Generally,during displaying broadcasts on the external display device 200, thescreen of the mobile terminal is blocked. However, according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention, EPG service can beenjoyed through the mobile terminal 100 regardless of displayingbroadcasts on the external display device. Herein, the EPG serviceinforms a user of what is playing on what channel and provides richprogram descriptors, which will describe the program/movie plot, starttime, duration, actors, directors and genre.

Accordingly, using the present invention, a user can conveniently enjoythe EPG service, without discontinuing broadcasts currently beingdisplayed on the external display device 200. That is, without having toclose the current broadcasting display scheme, a user may access EPGservice through the mobile terminal 100 while continuing to watchbroadcasts being displayed on the external display device 200, therebyallowing enjoyment of concurrent service without limitation.

FIG. 5 illustrates display of a broadcasting service and the ElectronicProgram Guide (EPG) service according to the present invention. Morespecifically, in FIG. 5, it is illustrated that pursuant to a user'srequest for the EPG service, while continuing to display broadcasts onthe external display device 200, information about the EPG service isdisplayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 100. FIG. 6 illustratesdisplay of different broadcasting services according to the presentinvention. In FIG. 6, the currently selected TV program is beingdisplayed on the external display device 200 whereas informationregarding different TV programs provided on other channels is beingdisplayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 100.

Although the above description focuses on display of a receivedbroadcasting service, it is understood that the present invention canalso be applied to display of video data stored in the mobile terminal100 on the external displaying device 200. Alternatively, in a mobileterminal having a projection function, it is possible to divide theprojected screen and the screen of the mobile terminal and then displaythem separately.

As can be understood from the foregoing description, according to thepresent invention, when an event occurs during displaying video data ofthe mobile terminal on the external display device, the mobile terminalprocesses the event and allows a user to continue to watch the videodata currently being displayed on the external display device withoutlimitation.

In addition, the present invention is advantageous in that, sincedetailed information about events including call incoming and messagereception is only displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal, andnot displayed on the screen of the external display device, a user'sprivacy can be fully protected.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to acertain preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile terminal comprising: a display; awireless communication circuit which transmits data to an externaldevice; and a controller configured to: identify, when the mobileterminal is operably connected with the external device through thewireless communication circuit, whether video data is being transmittedto the external device and whether an event occurs, and based on anidentification that the video data is being transmitted to the externaldevice and that the event occurs, control the display to display anidentifying event indicator generated by the mobile terminal anddisplaying a non-identifying event indicator without displaying theidentifying event indicator on the external device while the video datais being continuously transmitted to the external device for displayingthe video data on the external device without displaying the video dataon the display, wherein the event comprises at least one of receipt of atext message or receipt of a phone call, and wherein, when the eventoccurs, the controller is configured to transmit the non-identifyingevent indicator corresponding to the event to the external device. 2.The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communicationcircuit includes a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) interface.
 3. Amethod for a mobile terminal, the method comprising: identifying, whenthe mobile terminal is operably connected with an external devicethrough a wireless communication circuit of the mobile terminal, whethervideo data is being transmitted to the external device and whether anevent occurs; and based on an identification that the video data isbeing transmitted to the external device and that the event occurs,controlling a display of the mobile terminal to display an identifyingevent indicator generated by the mobile terminal and displaying anon-identifying event indicator without displaying the identifying eventindicator on the external device while the video data is beingcontinuously transmitted to the external device for displaying the videodata on the external device without displaying the video data on thedisplay, wherein the event comprises at least one of receipt of a textmessage or receipt of a phone call, and wherein, when the event occurs,the non-identifying event indicator corresponding to the event istransmitted to the external device.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinthe wireless communication circuit includes a wireless Local AreaNetwork (LAN) interface.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the videodata transmitted to the external device is at least one of stored in amemory of the mobile terminal or received by the wireless communicationcircuit.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein the identifying eventindicator comprises at least sender identification and a portion of amessage, if the event is receipt of the message.
 7. The mobile terminalof claim 1, wherein the video data transmitted to the external device isat least one of stored in a memory of the mobile terminal or received bythe wireless communication circuit.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim 1,wherein the identifying event indicator comprises at least senderidentification and a portion of a message, if the event is receipt ofthe message.